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AceDSE · Paper · 2026.07

歷史
History

Source Evaluation and Historical Argument Test

minutes80 minutes
marks32 marks
Attempted componentEnglish
Candidate name
Date

Sample-paper basis

sample data-based questions with provenance, usefulness, cartoons/statistics and evidence-led essays

Scope of this paper

The sources are newly written summaries or fictionalised primary-source exercises; the paper tests method across common historical themes.

Candidate instructions

  1. Answer Parts A and B, then ONE essay in Part C.
  2. Quote or describe source detail before inferring.
  3. Usefulness is not the same as reliability: address both content and provenance.

Part A — Berlin, 1948–49

16 marks

Source A — US presidential radio address, fictionalised from contemporary public arguments

We will not abandon two million people merely because the road and rail lines have been closed. Aircraft will carry what a city needs, and their steady arrival will show that pressure cannot decide Europe's future.

Source B — Soviet newspaper editorial, fictionalised

The Western powers use aircraft and dramatic headlines to disguise their currency measures in occupied Germany. Their objective is not bread alone but a permanent political and military foothold.

1(a)
Compare Sources A and B on the purpose of the Berlin Airlift. Identify one agreement and one difference.
[4 marks]
1(b)
How useful is Source A to a historian studying US policy during the blockade?
[6 marks]
1(c)
Using the sources and your knowledge, explain two ways the blockade deepened the division of Europe.
[6 marks]

Part B — Hong Kong's changing economy

8 marks
Simplified historical indicators
YearManufacturing share of GDPServices share of GDPManufacturing employment ('000)
198524%68%870
20009%85%230
20156%88%105
2(a)
Describe two major changes shown in the table and suggest one cause for each.
[5 marks]
2(b)
What cannot be concluded from this table alone? Give three limitations.
[3 marks]

Part C — Essay

8 marks

Answer ONE essay.

Option A

3A
'Economic weakness was more important than political opposition in ending communist rule in Eastern Europe by 1991.' How far do you agree?
[8 marks]

Option B

3B
To what extent did international conflict transform everyday life in Hong Kong between 1937 and 1970?
[8 marks]

Every question and figure is original AceDSE work; official samples were used only to calibrate format, complexity and reasoning depth.
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